SQE2 attendance note example

This SQE2 attendance note example shows a complete note for a flat purchase, with commentary on why each part earns marks. Read it next to the SQE2 attendance note skill page, then write your own after a mock interview in our task list.

The scenario

The client is Priya Nair, a first-time buyer. She wants to buy a leasehold flat at 14 Alder Court for £285,000 with a mortgage. The facts, names and figures are invented for this example. The interview lasted 25 minutes and you now have about 25 minutes to write the note.

The note is not a transcript. It is the record a colleague, or you in six months, could pick up and act on. The assessor reads it as a supervising solicitor would: can I see what the client wants, what was said, what the law is, and what happens next?

The worked note

Attendance note

Client: Priya Nair. Matter: purchase of 14 Alder Court (leasehold flat). Date: 12 March. Present: client and me. Time: 25 minutes.

1. Instructions

The client wants to buy the flat for £285,000 and has an offer accepted. She wants to exchange within eight weeks because her rental agreement ends then. She will use a mortgage of £228,000 and a £57,000 deposit.

2. Key facts

• Deposit: £40,000 from savings; £17,000 gift from her father. No gift letter yet.
• The lease has 92 years left. Ground rent is stated as £250 a year. Service charge is not yet known.
• She told me the seller's agent mentioned scaffolding on the building. She does not know why.
• She has not signed any agreement with the agent or the lender.

3. Advice given

• I explained that 92 years left on the lease is likely to be acceptable to most lenders, but each lender sets its own minimum, so I will check her lender's requirements. I will also check whether the ground rent can increase, because some lenders refuse a rising ground rent.
• I explained that I will check the lease terms, the management pack and the title, and report before she exchanges.
• I explained that a gifted deposit must be disclosed to the lender, and that I need a signed letter from her father saying the money is a gift with no interest in the flat.
• I advised that scaffolding may mean major works, which could mean a large service charge demand. I will ask the seller's solicitor.
• I explained that I must report to the lender anything that affects its security.
• I explained that I would act for her and for the lender and asked if she agreed. I explained I could not keep information from the lender that matters to its decision.

4. Risks and issues

• Major works and unpaid service charges. Risk to cost and to the mortgage.
• Source of funds. I must see evidence of the savings and the gift to meet my money laundering checks.
• Her timetable is tight. I told her I cannot promise exchange in eight weeks.

5. Client decisions

She agreed to my acting for both her and the lender. She chose to wait for my report before deciding on exchange.

6. Next steps

1. Me: send client care letter and identity forms this week.
2. Client: send three months of bank statements and sign the gift letter within seven days.
3. Me: ask seller's solicitor about the scaffolding and request the management pack.
4. Me: report on title and lease to the client before exchange.

Why this note works

It opens with the client's goal and deadline in two sentences. The assessor sees at once that you understood the point of the interview.

Facts are separated from advice. A reader can tell what the client said from what you told her. This is the skill the SRA describes as recording relevant information and identifying next steps.

The law is applied to her facts, not recited. The note does not explain what a lease is. It says why 92 years is relevant to her mortgage and why a gift matters to a lender. Client-focused advice is part of the published law criterion.

It contains ethics without a label. Acting for borrower and lender, disclosure to the lender, and source of funds checks are all there. From 1 September 2026 there is a separate ethics and professional conduct criterion, so a short, specific ethics point is worth including every time.

Every next step has an owner and a timing. A vague line such as "progress matter" earns nothing.

What an assessor looks for

• The client's objective, stated plainly.
• Relevant facts only, with gaps you noticed (for example, no service charge figure).
• Advice you actually gave, correct for England and Wales.
• Risks ranked by importance, not listed at random.
• Ethics and professional conduct points that arise from the facts.
• Clear next steps with who and when.

The SRA grades each criterion from A (superior) to F (extremely poor). Your estimated grade rises when the note could be used by someone who was not in the room.

Common mistakes

• Writing a diary of the conversation in the order it happened.
• Including every detail, including irrelevant ones, and running out of time before the next steps.
• Recording advice you did not give, or law you did not mention in the interview. Be careful: a note is a record.
• Missing the ethics point because it was not raised by the client.
• Using the headings but leaving them thin. "Risks: cost" is not enough.

Checklist

1. Header: client, matter, date, who was present.
2. One paragraph on instructions and deadline.
3. Key facts, including missing ones.
4. Advice, point by point, tied to facts.
5. Risks and ethics, ranked.
6. Client decisions.
7. Next steps with owner and timing.

Practise the same layout every time so that under time pressure you only think about content.

Questions

Related

• SQE2 attendance note: how to write a strong one
• SQE2 client interview example
• SQE2 property practice: what the tasks look like
• SQE2 ethics and professional conduct: how it is tested

Sources: SRA: The SQE2 assessment (presentation); Law Society: SQE1 and SQE2 assessments; SRA: guidance on ethics and professional conduct changes for SQE2 after 1 September 2026. Checked 10 November 2026.